Limerick’s victory over Kilkenny in this year’s All Ireland Hurling Final puts them in the rarefied position of becoming only the third team in history to secure four All Ireland Hurling tiles in a row.
Cork between 1941 and 1944 was the first, then Kilkenny between 2007 and 2010, stopped in their tracks from becoming the first ever five in a row Hurling team by Cork.
Will it now be down to them to preserve their own place in history by taking down Limerick in their drive for five?
It would be a brave pundit to back against the Green machine with bookmaker Boylesports already installing them as 4/6 favourites for next year, with Clare, Galway and Kilkenny as their most likely pursuers.
The game yesterday was won with a powerful second-half burst that saw them once again reach a tally of 30 points in a Final. It was poetry in motion for that second spell of 35 minutes and the shell-shocked faces of the Kilkenny players at the final whistle told its own story.
The GAA has turned around a ‘fly on the wall’ documentary which can be seen as our Daily Video in today’s later PM Bulletin.
When Captain Cian Lynch made his Thank You’s from the Hogan Stand after the game he went through the backroom teams, the players and their families but linkered longer than most on the input of JP McManus, whose backing of the team has allowed them to reach the heights they have achieved without having to worry too much about fundraisers.
He was there yesterday in the stand, clearly enjoying the result in his understated way but this love affair with the county is not a late in life conversion.
Through his JP McManus Benevolent Fund, he distributed some €40 million to educational, cultural and community projects over the past decades since he made his fortune trading on international currency markets.
Best known for his love of horse racing, and providing the winners of the Aintree Grand National that were high points in the careers of Tony McCoy and Rachael Blackmore, he has also been a driving force behind the creation of the International Rugby Experience that will leave a lasting physical legacy on the Limerick skyline.
He contributed significantly to the ongoing development of the TUS Gaelic Grounds and plenty more.
His support of the Limerick Hurlers has allowed them to play with only the County Crest and the O’Neill’s logo on the front of their shirts. His ownership of Adare Manor is evident on the back and on the training gear and tracksuits.
That venue has been the host for the Invitational Golf Tournament which has also raised many millions for local charity and will in 2027 bring the world to Limerick with the staging of the Ryder Cup.
For now though that is the stuff of tomorrow. The County is much more tuned into the events of yesterday, and what events they were.
Sport for Business Perspective
Money cannot buy All Ireland titles but it can help to foster the support around the individuals that deliver them, whether through great skill, great coaching or whatever that indefinable magic is that creates consistent winning performance.
JP McManus hasn’t pucked a ball in this historic run for Limerick but he has played a part in creating the kind of memories that will be recalled and spoken of deep into the future.
